Personality assessment inventory (PAI) in forensic and correctional settings: A comprehensive review.

As Forensic Psychology continues to expand as an independent field, professionals regularly resort to psychological assessment tools to assess people involved within the justice system. The Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI) is a 344-item, self-report inventory that aims to provide meaningful information for diagnosis and clinical decision-making, specifically relating to psychopathology, personality, and psychosocial environment. Its applicability in forensic settings has been increasingly recognized on account of its benefits in comparison to other self-report inventories (e.g., MMPI-2, MCMI-III), since it includes scales that are relevant to forensic settings (e.g., violence risk levels, psychopathy, substance abuse), and the existence of profile distortion indicators is useful when dealing with highly defensive and/or malingering populations. The goal of this paper is to conduct a thorough review of the PAI's utility in forensic settings, by focusing on the relevant forensic constructs assessed by the PAI (e.g., personality disorders, psychosis, substance abuse, aggression, recidivism risk, and response distortion), as well as its application to offender and inmate populations, intimate partner violence contexts, family law cases, and forensic professionals. Overall, the PAI continues to gather international recognition and its relevance and usefulness in forensic settings is generally accepted and acknowledged.

Role of the molecular structure of humified organic matter in rice plant response to environmental lead pollution.

Humified organic matter has been shown to decrease Pb toxicity in plants. However, there are still gaps in our understanding of the mechanism by which this phenomenon occurs. In this study, we aimed to assess the ability of humic substances (HSs), humic acids (HAs), and fulvic acids (FAs) to enhance defense mechanisms in rice plants under lead (Pb)-stressed conditions. HS fractions were isolated from vermicompost using the chemical fractionation methodology established by the International Humic Substances Society. These fractions were characterized by solid-state NMR and FTIR. Chemometric analysis was used to compare humic structures and correlate them with bioactivity. Three treatments were tested to evaluate the protective effect of humic fractions on rice plants. The first experiment involved the application of humic fractions along with Pb. The second comprised pretreatment with humic fractions followed by subsequent exposure to Pb stress. The third experiment involved Pb stress and subsequent treatment with humic fractions. The root morphology and components of the antioxidative defense system were evaluated and quantified. The results showed that HS + Pb, HA + Pb, and FA + Pb treatment preserved root growth and reduced the levels of O2- and malondialdehyde (MDA) in the roots by up to 5% and 2%, respectively. Pretreatment of the plants with humic fractions promoted the maintenance of root growth and reduced the contents of O2-, H2O2, and MDA by up to 48%, 22%, and 20%, respectively. Combined application of humic fractions and Pb reduced the Pb content in plant tissues by up to 60%, while pretreatment reduced it by up to 80%. The protective capacity of humic fractions is related to the presence of peptides, lignin, and carbohydrate fragments in their molecular structures. These results suggest that products could be developed that can mitigate the adverse effects of heavy metals on agricultural crops.

BRIEF-A: Factor structure and measurement invariance across self-report and informant forms.

OBJECTIVE: This study analyzes the psychometric properties of the two forms (self-report and informant) of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function-Adult version (BRIEF-A) in a sample of healthy Portuguese adults. METHOD: The participants were 608 adults, 304 of whom answered the self-report form (ages 18-59; 137 male and 167 female) and 304 who answered the informant form (ages 18-70; 110 male and 194 female). RESULTS: The internal consistency for the indexes and the Global Executive Composite was very good (≥.90), whereas for the scales they were either acceptable (between .70 and .80) or good (≥.80), except for the Inhibit scale in both forms. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test seven competing factor models for each of the forms. The original two-factor model (Behavioral Regulation and Metacognition Indexes) showed a slightly better model fit than the three-factor model (Behavioral Regulation, Emotional Regulation, and Metacognition Indexes) in both forms. The multiple-group analysis of the two-correlated-factor model across forms was supported (configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the BRIEF-A showed adequate psychometric properties, suggesting that it is a useful instrument to assess everyday executive functioning in healthy Portuguese adults.

Factor structure and measurement invariance of the BRIEF2 Parent Form across gender in a Portuguese sample.

This study aimed to investigate the factor structure and the measurement invariance across gender of the BRIEF2 Parent Form in Portuguese typically developing children. Participants were 700 typically developing children (n = 352 girls and n = 348 boys) aged 6-16 years. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test five competing factor models. Consistent with the BRIEF2 original dimensional structure, the three-factor model demonstrated the most adequate fit to the data. The measurement invariance of the three-factor model across gender was supported (configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance). Overall, the BRIEF2 Parent Form showed adequate psychometric properties, suggesting that it is a useful instrument to assess everyday executive functioning based on reports of behaviors observed by parents in healthy Portuguese children.

Fire lead to disturbance on organic carbon under sugarcane cultivation but is recovered by amendment with vinasse.

Sugarcane burning has been widely practiced in Brazil and worldwide. In the long term, this farming practice can cause soil erosion, reduction in organic carbon (OC) and consequently, changes in the structure of soil organic matter (SOM). Such changes may be difficult to reverse. This study aimed to assess the medium- and long-term effects of sugarcane burning on SOM characteristics, both in terms of quantity and structural quality and evaluate the application of vinasse as a strategy to attenuate fire-induced changes in burned soil. The experiment was conducted in a 50-year-old sugarcane field on soils classed as Cambissolo Háplico (Inceptisol). Four plots were sampled: a) burning of sugarcane for harvest for 37 years (SCB37); b) renewal of the sugarcane field and burning for harvest for 3 years (SCB3); c) renewal of the sugarcane field without burning for harvest for 3 years (SCWB), and d) renewal of the sugarcane field and burning for harvest with the application of vinasse for 3 years (SCV). Chemical and physical characterization of SOM was performed by solid-state spectroscopy (UV-vis, ATR-FTIR e 13C NMR CP/MAS) and chemometric techniques. The results showed that sugarcane burning drastically impacts SOM content and its chemical structure, however, the application of vinasse preserves and restores the soil from the fire effects. Content of soil OC, particulate OC, mineral-associated OC, humic acid, humin and light fraction OM that were affected by fire, had an increase and recovery of contents by the vinasse application. Solid state spectroscopy showed that labile structures were lost in humic acids (HA) by fire and recalcitrant structures were preserved. The application of vinasse incorporated fragments of lipids and carbohydrates in HA structure. Burning sugar cane straw affects the integrity of soil organic matter but can be restored by applying vinasse.

Investigating the double-deficit hypothesis of developmental dyslexia in an orthography of intermediate depth.

The present study aimed to investigate the double-deficit hypothesis (DDH) in an orthography of intermediate depth. Eighty-five European Portuguese-speaking children with developmental dyslexia, aged 7 to 12, were tested on measures of phonological awareness (PA), naming speed (NS), reading, and spelling. The results indicated that PA and NS were not significantly correlated, and that NS predicts reading fluency (but not reading accuracy and spelling) beyond what is accounted for by PA. Although the majority of the children with developmental dyslexia have double deficit (62.4%), some children have a single phonological deficit (24.7%) or a single NS deficit (8.2%). Children with a double deficit were not more impaired in reading fluency, reading accuracy, and spelling than both single-deficit subtypes. In conclusion, the findings of the present study are partially consistent with the DDH and provide evidence for the multifactorial model of developmental dyslexia. Implications of the DDH for an orthography of intermediate depth are emphasized.

WISC-III Cognitive Profiles in Children with ADHD: Specific Cognitive Impairments and Diagnostic Utility.

This study aimed to investigate the presence of specific cognitive impairments and the diagnostic utility of the WISC-III in children with ADHD. Ninety-eight children with ADHD and 81 children without ADHD matched by age and gender (control group), between the ages of 6 and 12 years, participated in the study. Children with ADHD revealed the most pronounced deficits in the subtests tapping working memory and processing speed. Freedom from Distractibility was the cognitive profile most impaired and that showed the highest diagnostic accuracy to discriminate children with ADHD. The optimal cutoff scores of the most common WISC-III cognitive profiles revealed greater diagnostic accuracy than the traditional approach of full or partial profiles. Taken together, these results suggested that in the context of a comprehensive psychological assessment, the WISC may provide knowledge about the specific cognitive strengths and weaknesses that characterize this disorder and may be useful in the decision-making process relative to ADHD diagnosis.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of Neurocognitive Measures in Healthy Young Adults: The Relation of Executive Functions with Other Neurocognitive Functions.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to investigate the factor structure of a set of neurocognitive tests theoretically assessing executive functions (EF), verbal abilities (VA), and processing speed (PS). This study extended previous research by analyzing if each test is better explained by the specific factor to which it theoretically belongs or by a more general neurocognitive factor; and also by analyzing the relations between the neurocognitive factors. METHODS: Using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) we examined the factor structure of nine neurocognitive tests (EF: Working Memory, Tower, Divided Attention, Stroop, and Verbal Fluency tests; VA: Word List and Confrontation Naming tests; PS: Coding and Telephone Search tests) in a nonclinical sample (N = 90; 18-33 years old, 76 women). We tested five factor models of neurocognitive functioning: a one-factor model; two models with two-correlated factors; and two models with three-correlated factors. RESULTS: A three-correlated-factor model, with EF, VA, and PS factors, was the most suitable for our neuropsychological data. The Verbal Fluency test was better explained by the VA factor rather than by the EF factor. The EF factor was correlated with the PS factor, but not with the VA factor. CONCLUSIONS: Most of the neurocognitive measures used in the present study loaded in the expected factors (with the exception of the Verbal Fluency that was apparently more related to VA). EF and PS represent related but separable functions. Our results highlight the need for a careful interpretation of test scores since performance on one test usually requires multiple functions.

Factor Structure and Measurement Invariance of the Coimbra Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (BANC).

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the factor structure of the Coimbra Neuropsychological Assessment Battery (BANC), which is an individually administered battery designed to assess a wide range of neurocognitive functions in children. METHOD: Using the standardization sample of the BANC, a confirmatory factor analysis and a multiple-group analysis were conducted to examine the factor structure and the measurement invariance of three main domains (Memory, Language, and Attention/Executive Functions) in 833 children aged 7-15 years. RESULTS: Consistent with the BANC's conceptualization, the three-correlated-factor model demonstrated the most adequate fit to the data. The measurement invariance of the three-correlated-factor model across two age-groups (7-9 years and 10-15 years) was supported (configural, metric, and partial scalar invariance). CONCLUSION: Overall, the BANC shows adequate psychometric properties and provides useful information regarding the children's neuropsychological functioning.

Searching for a neurologic injury's Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition profile.

This study aimed to investigate the presence of a Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Third Edition (WAIS-III) cognitive profile in a Portuguese neurologic injured sample. The Portuguese WAIS-III was administered to 81 mixed neurologic patients and 81 healthy matched controls selected from the Portuguese standardization sample. Although the mixed neurologic injury group performed significantly lower than the healthy controls for the majority of the WAIS-III scores (i.e., composite measures, discrepancies, and subtests), the mean scores were within the normal range and, therefore, at risk of being unobserved in a clinical evaluation. ROC curves analysis showed poor to acceptable diagnostic accuracy for the WAIS-III composite measures and subtests (Working Memory Index and Digit Span revealed the highest accuracy for discriminating between participants, respectively). Multiple regression analysis showed that both literacy and the presence of brain injury were significant predictors for all of the composite measures. In addition, multiple regression analysis also showed that literacy, age of injury onset, and years of survival predicted all seven composite measures for the mixed neurologic injured group. Despite the failure to find a WAIS-III cognitive profile for mixed neurologic patients, the results showed a significant influence of brain lesion and literacy in the performance of the WAIS-III.

Neurocognitive functioning in children with developmental dyslexia and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: Multiple deficits and diagnostic accuracy.

INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to investigate the neurocognitive functioning of children with developmental dyslexia (DD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD: Four groups of children between the ages of 8 and 10 years participated in the study: typically developing children (TDC; N = 34), children with DD-only (N = 32), children with ADHD-only (N = 32), and children with DD+ADHD (N = 18). RESULTS: Children with DD and ADHD exhibited significant weaknesses on almost all neurocognitive measures compared with TDC. Large effect sizes were observed for naming speed and phonological awareness. The comorbid group showed deficits consistent with both DD and ADHD without additional impairments. Results from binary logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses suggested that some neurocognitive measures revealed an adequate sensitivity for the clinical diagnosis of both neurodevelopmental disorders. Specifically, naming speed and phonological awareness were the strongest predictors to correctly discriminate both disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, the results lend support to the multiple cognitive deficit hypothesis showing a considerable overlap of neurocognitive deficits between both disorders.

Executive functioning in children with developmental dyslexia.

The term "executive function" has been used to describe several higher-order cognitive processes. This study examined the processing speed, shifting, planning, and verbal fluency of a sample of 50 Portuguese children with developmental dyslexia (DD) and 50 typically developing children (TDC; chronological-age-matched controls) between 8 and 12 years of age to evaluate the children's executive functioning. Compared to TDC, children with DD revealed significant processing speed, shifting, and verbal fluency deficits. After controlling for differences in the general intellectual ability, significant group differences remained for shifting, verbal fluency and marginally for processing speed. No significant differences in planning ability were observed between the groups. No significant interaction of group, gender, and age was found for any of the executive functions measures studied. Word productivity in both semantic and phonemic verbal fluency tasks decreased significantly over the 60 seconds for both groups. Shifting was the only significant predictor of DD in the binary logistic regression analysis and yielded the highest area under the curve value (receiver operating characteristics curve analysis). Therefore, although these findings highlight the presence of specific executive functions deficits in children with DD, they should not be interpreted as indicative of the presence or absence of this learning disorder.

Working Memory in Portuguese Children With Developmental Dyslexia.

A Portuguese sample of 50 children with developmental dyslexia (DD) and 50 typical readers (TR) who were matched for age (8-12 years old) were tested on measures of working memory. Relative to the TR, the children with DD performed significantly worse on phonological loop (PL) and central executive (CE) tasks; however, they exhibited no impairments on visuospatial sketchpad (VSSP) tasks. After controlling for the influence of the PL, the group differences in CE tasks were no longer significant. The results of a receiver-operating characteristics curve analysis and a binary logistic regression analysis suggested that the PL and CE tasks (but not the VSSP tasks) were relevant variables for identifying children with DD. Hierarchical linear regression analyses showed that the PL and CE (Backward Digit Span only) tasks were significant predictors of reading and spelling abilities.

Developmental dyslexia and phonological processing in European Portuguese orthography.

This study analysed the performance of phonological processing, the diagnostic accuracy and the influence on reading in children who were native speakers of an orthography of intermediate depth. Portuguese children with developmental dyslexia (DD; N=24; aged 10-12 years), chronological age (CA)-matched controls (N=24; aged 10-12 years) and reading level (RL)-matched controls (N=24; aged 7-9 years) were tested on measures of phonological processing (phonological awareness, naming speed and verbal short-term memory) and reading. The results indicated that the children with DD performed significantly poorer in all measures compared with the CA and RL. Phonological awareness and naming speed showed a high accuracy (receiver operating characteristics curve analysis) for discriminating the children with DD from the CA and RL, whereas the presence of abnormally low scores in phonological awareness and naming speed was more frequent in the DD group than in the controls and the normative population. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that phonological awareness was the most important predictor of all reading accuracy measures, whereas naming speed was particularly related to text reading fluency.

WISC-III cognitive profiles in children with developmental dyslexia: specific cognitive disability and diagnostic utility.

This study analysed the usefulness of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition in identifying specific cognitive impairments that are linked to developmental dyslexia (DD) and the diagnostic utility of the most common profiles in a sample of 100 Portuguese children (50 dyslexic and 50 normal readers) between the ages of 8 and 12 years. Children with DD exhibited significantly lower scores in the Verbal Comprehension Index (except the Vocabulary subtest), Freedom from Distractibility Index (FDI) and Processing Speed Index subtests, with larger effect sizes than normal readers in Information, Arithmetic and Digit Span. The Verbal-Performance IQs discrepancies, Bannatyne pattern and the presence of FDI; Arithmetic, Coding, Information and Digit Span subtests (ACID) and Symbol Search, Coding, Arithmetic and Digit Span subtests (SCAD) profiles (full or partial) in the lowest subtests revealed a low diagnostic utility. However, the receiver operating characteristic curve and the optimal cut-off score analyses of the composite ACID; FDI and SCAD profiles scores showed moderate accuracy in correctly discriminating dyslexic readers from normal ones. These results suggested that in the context of a comprehensive assessment, the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition provides some useful information about the presence of specific cognitive disabilities in DD. Practitioner Points. Children with developmental dyslexia revealed significant deficits in the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition subtests that rely on verbal abilities, processing speed and working memory. The composite Arithmetic, Coding, Information and Digit Span subtests (ACID); Freedom from Distractibility Index and Symbol Search, Coding, Arithmetic and Digit Span subtests (SCAD) profile scores showed moderate accuracy in correctly discriminating dyslexics from normal readers. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition may provide some useful information about the presence of specific cognitive disabilities in developmental dyslexia.

Fluência verbal semântica e fonêmica em crianças: funções cognitivas e análise temporal / Semantic and phonemic verbal fl uency in children: cognitive functions and temporal analysis

Testes de fluência verbal são medidas sensíveis a diferentes funções neuropsicológicas usadas na avaliação da integridade dos lobos frontal e temporal. Participaram neste estudo 120 crianças (7 a 10 anos) que foram avaliadas por meio da prova de fluência verbal semântica e fonêmica. Os resultados obtidos das análises fatoriais exploratória e confirmatória e da análise de correlação parecem indicar que essas duas provas dependem de diferentes funções neurocognitivas. O número de palavras produzidas nas tarefas fonêmicas foi significativamente inferior ao obtido nas tarefas semânticas, uma vez que as primeiras são cognitivamente mais complexas. Não foram observadas diferenças de gênero, mas foi observado um efeito significativo em função da idade da criança, o que corrobora a sensibilidade desses testes aos processos neurodesenvolvimentais. Na análise do desempenho ao longo dos 60 segundos, observa-se uma maior produção de palavras nos primeiros 15 segundos e uma significativa diminuição ao longo dos restantes 45 segundos.(AU)

Verbal fluency tests are sensitive to different neuropsychological functions used in assessing the integrity of the frontal and temporal lobes. In this study, 120 healthy children (aged 7 to 10 years) were examined through a semantic and a phonemic verbal fluency test. The results of exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis seem to indicate that these two verbal fluency tests depend on different neurocognitive functions. The number of words produced in the phonemic task was significantly lower than the semantic task, indicating that is cognitively more complex. No gender differences were found, but a significant effect was observed for children’s age, showing the sensitivity of these verbal fluency tests to neurodevelopmental processes. The analyze of performance over the 60 seconds showed a significant production of words in the first 15 seconds and decrease over the remaining 45 seconds.(AU)

Las pruebas de fluidez verbal son medidas sensibles a las diferentes funciones neuropsicológicas utilizadas en la evaluación de la integridad de los lobos frontal y temporal. Participaron de este estudio 120 niños (7 a 10 años) que fueron evaluados mediante la prueba de fluidez verbal semántica y fonémica. Los resultados obtenidos de los análisis factoriales exploratorio y confirmatorio y del análisis de correlación indicaron que esas dos pruebas dependen de diferentes funciones neurocognitivas. El número de palabras producidas en las tareas fonémicas fue significativamente inferior al obtenido en las tareas semánticas, ya que las primeras son cognitivamente más complejas. No hubo diferencias entre los sexos, pero fue observado un efecto significativo en función de la edad de niños, lo que corrobora la sensibilidad de esos testes a los procesos neurológicos del desarrollo. En el análisis del desempeño a lo largo de los 60 segundos, se observa una mayor producción de palabras en los primeros 15 segundos y una significativa disminución a lo largo de los restantes 45 segundos.(AU)

Fluência verbal semântica e fonêmica em crianças: funções cognitivas e análise temporal / Semantic and phonemic verbal fl uency in children: cognitive functions and temporal analysis / Fluidez verbal semántica y fonémica en niños: funciones cognitivas y análisis temporal

Testes de fluência verbal são medidas sensíveis a diferentes funções neuropsicológicas usadas na avaliação da integridade dos lobos frontal e temporal. Participaram neste estudo 120 crianças (7 a 10 anos) que foram avaliadas por meio da prova de fluência verbal semântica e fonêmica. Os resultados obtidos das análises fatoriais exploratória e confirmatória e da análise de correlação parecem indicar que essas duas provas dependem de diferentes funções neurocognitivas. O número de palavras produzidas nas tarefas fonêmicas foi significativamente inferior ao obtido nas tarefas semânticas, uma vez que as primeiras são cognitivamente mais complexas. Não foram observadas diferenças de gênero, mas foi observado um efeito significativo em função da idade da criança, o que corrobora a sensibilidade desses testes aos processos neurodesenvolvimentais. Na análise do desempenho ao longo dos 60 segundos, observa-se uma maior produção de palavras nos primeiros 15 segundos e uma significativa diminuição ao longo dos restantes 45 segundos.

Verbal fluency tests are sensitive to different neuropsychological functions used in assessing the integrity of the frontal and temporal lobes. In this study, 120 healthy children (aged 7 to 10 years) were examined through a semantic and a phonemic verbal fluency test. The results of exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis seem to indicate that these two verbal fluency tests depend on different neurocognitive functions. The number of words produced in the phonemic task was significantly lower than the semantic task, indicating that is cognitively more complex. No gender differences were found, but a significant effect was observed for children’s age, showing the sensitivity of these verbal fluency tests to neurodevelopmental processes. The analyze of performance over the 60 seconds showed a significant production of words in the first 15 seconds and decrease over the remaining 45 seconds.

Las pruebas de fluidez verbal son medidas sensibles a las diferentes funciones neuropsicológicas utilizadas en la evaluación de la integridad de los lobos frontal y temporal. Participaron de este estudio 120 niños (7 a 10 años) que fueron evaluados mediante la prueba de fluidez verbal semántica y fonémica. Los resultados obtenidos de los análisis factoriales exploratorio y confirmatorio y del análisis de correlación indicaron que esas dos pruebas dependen de diferentes funciones neurocognitivas. El número de palabras producidas en las tareas fonémicas fue significativamente inferior al obtenido en las tareas semánticas, ya que las primeras son cognitivamente más complejas. No hubo diferencias entre los sexos, pero fue observado un efecto significativo en función de la edad de niños, lo que corrobora la sensibilidad de esos testes a los procesos neurológicos del desarrollo. En el análisis del desempeño a lo largo de los 60 segundos, se observa una mayor producción de palabras en los primeros 15 segundos y una significativa disminución a lo largo de los restantes 45 segundos.